Overview

The Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) is a monthly survey that has been developed to address the need for data on job openings, hires, and separations.

• Purpose
• Scope
• Data Elements
• Reference Periods
• Forms of Publication
• Uses

Purpose

These data serve as demand-side indicators of labor shortages at the national level. Prior to JOLTS, there was no economic indicator of the unmet demand for labor with which to assess the presence or extent of labor shortages in the United States. The availability of unfilled jobs--the job openings rate--is an important measure of the tightness of job markets, parallel to existing measures of unemployment.

Scope

Data from a sample of approximately 16,000 U.S. business establishments are collected by the Bureau of Labor Statistics through the Atlanta JOLTS Data Collection Center. The JOLTS survey covers all nonagricultural industries in the public and private sectors for the 50 States and the District of Columbia.

Data Elements

Reference Periods

Total Employment - the pay period that includes the 12th of the month.

Job Openings - the last business day of the month.

Hires and Separations - the entire calendar month.

Forms of Publication

• Monthly release of data in either news release or tables format
• Internet - main database (LABSTAT)

Uses

• National economic policy
• Business cycle analysis
• Industry retention rates
• Economic research and planning
• Industry studies
• Education and job training

For additional information, please contact us.

Last Modified Date: January 12, 2007